Gluten-Free Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

I love my mom’s cut-out sugar cookies. They are so delicious and have always been a favorite baked treat as a kid, and we still decorate them every year at Christmas together. When I went gluten-free about 6 months ago I feared that this favorite tradition of mine would be just a memory that I couldn’t truly take part in (eating them was my favorite part of course!). After doing plenty of research on different gluten-free flours, I came up with my own gluten-free recipe. On my first try I think I nailed it! Thanks to the wonderful fresh ground flours from the WonderMill Grain Mill, these hold together wonderfully and have a soft, “normal” texture and flavor. Add some delicious butter cream frosting colored with Maggie’s Naturals food coloring and sugar sprinkles (check out my experience), and you’ve got a fun family activity, and the perfect gluten-free treat to send to school for your kid’s birthday.

Ingredients

1 cup organic granulated sugar

1 cup Butter, softened

2 Eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups White Rice Flour (freshly ground)

1/2 cup Potato Starch

1/4 cup Tapioca Flour (freshly ground)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1) Using a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until combined.
2) In a separate bowl, combine rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour and salt. Slowly add this flour blend to the wet ingredients while mixing until combined.
3) Scrape dough together to form a ball in the mixing bowl (will be a bit sticky), cover the bowl and put in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up.
4) Heat oven to 350°F. Once firm, remove about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough from the bowl (leave the rest in the fridge) and place on a flat surface sprinkled evenly with rice flour (or other gluten-free flour). Leave plenty of extra flour on hand as needed when things get sticky.
5) Using a rolling pin, roll out dough into a circle until approximately 1/4 inch thick. Cut out desired shapes. Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for easy removal.
6) Bake for 10-12 minutes for a soft texture. For a crunchy sugar cookie bake a little longer until edges start to turn light brown. Either way, leave cookies on cookie sheet for at least 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
7) Once cool, frost with a homemade butter cream frosting and add sprinkles or enjoy plain!

About The Reynolds Mom

Ashley Reynolds is a gluten free mom of one smart little boy, wife of 7 years to a handsome hubby and lover of all things organic and truly natural. She's a real food enthusiast, semi-crunchy mama that enjoys learning new ways to improve her families' health and wellness goals. You can find her at The Reynolds Mom and also on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Grain Mill Wagon Challenge:

As my first experience owning and using a grain mill, I have to say that I'm blown away. The WonderMill Grain Mill is fantastic! It's easy to use, grinds beautifully and is really quite an effortless process. Prior to this challenge I knew at some point I would want to have a grain mill on my "wish list" and I'm thrilled that I have one NOW for several reasons.

First, this challenge has put me in the kitchen, front and center, cooking for my family far more often. I'm glad this is happening sooner rather than later! This challenge has pushed me to new heights in a fun way, and has shown me that I'm really capable of cooking and baking a lot more adventurously than I previously thought.

Secondly, this challenge has offered me the push to try gluten-free flours I've yet to use. Black bean flour? Tapioca flour? YES! New gluten-free ingredients such as these have really made it fun and more interesting in my kitchen!

Lastly, through this challenge I learned that I was probably buying rancid flours from store shelves before. I had no clue! The importance of using freshly ground flours never completely crossed my mind until this challenge. Fresh flours from our WonderMill Grain Mill makes a world of difference in taste, texture and outcome of my recipes!